Tapping on CPF records for applications

8 April 2013

Question No. 1094

Name of Person: Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song

Question

To ask the Minister for Health whether Government restructured hospitals are currently able to tap into patients' CPF or IRAS records (with their consent) to process Medifund and other applications and, if not, when will the hospital systems be enhanced to spare patients the hassle of submitting their payslips, CPF statements or tax returns.

Answer

Since last year, with consent, the Public Hospitals are able to tap into patients’ and their families’ records of income at CPF and Annual Value of residential property at IRAS, and use the information for financial counselling, means-testing for subsidies, and applications for Medifund or other assistance.  

2                   Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement.  For example, CPF data does not capture the income above $5,000.  We are currently working on tapping into IRAS records for full income data and we hope to implement it by early next year.  We will continue to improve our processes and train our staff to minimise administrative hassle for patients and their families.